2020 was a bizarre year, I think we could all agree on that. The possibility of war, facing a massive and painful pandemic, social distancing, the U.S. presidential election, protests, fires, travel restrictions, and much more. It is easy to recall all the sufferings that 2020 brought upon us, and in our field the obvious lack of travel, however, good things did happen and humans did show that they are still capable of being there for one another. As Saadi, the Persian poet has once said: “Human beings are members of a whole, in the creation of one essence and soul. If one member is afflicted with pain, other members uneasy will remain. If you’ve no sympathy for human pain, the name of human you cannot retain.”
These are the headlines of some good news that brightened up the darkness of 2020:
- As an appreciation, travel companies gave free flights and stays to first responders.
- People in quarantine got wildly creative, when you face limitation, your mind struggles to seek an answer to your problem and then, it turns into God.
- Yankee Stadium pivoted, accommodating drive-in movies and concerts.
- Online learning, or in better words, online everything became wildly popular.
- Destinations did offer free virtual tours which expanded people’s perspectives from home.
- Iconic recipes for food and drink were released.
- Animals finally got to take a free breath without the human’s threat as people were bound to stay indoors.
- A female group of gondoliers delivered food to the elderly.
- We all saw that a 93-year-old grandma was out of beer and Coors got her what she needed.
- Younger people asked their old neighbors what they needed, and would take them to places in their cars.
- When flight meals were cut, airlines decided to donate the food.
- A puppy came together with her family after the virus had separated them for five months.